Inverters are incorporated into fill lines primarily for inverting the containers so that they can be cleansed and sterilized. One important design requirement for such inverters is shortness in length because fill lines for containers tend to be long and since the line components are usually positioned serially, the shorter each component is the better. One way to shorten inverters is to change the level of the containing path; however, this arrangement results in the containers passing beneath other containers, which in not good from a sanitary standpoint, and also requires a more complicated structure. Additionally, the inverters usually swing the containers with the open end outward and anything inside the containers can become a projectile due to centrifugal force.
Other types of inverters are the pusher and rail type wherein the containers are pushed by drive belts through a set of spaced stationary rails. These rails are twisted so as to invert the container as it is pushed therealong. These types of inverters usually require fittings to accommodate various sizes. Additional problems can also be encountered because the containers are pushed together through the rail inverter section and friction with plastic containers is greater than for glass.
It is the purpose of this invention to provide a belt inverter which is less expensive and simpler in design and can be quickly and easily converted for use of with different sized containers.